Crematory urn



archl, 1941. A KUN-21N@ 2,235,617

CREMATORY URN Filed Aug. 5,' 1940 el, y wil-Imi .0, l Il' mami /4 y ma@ ATTO NEYS.

Patented Mar. 1s, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-fics CREMAT'ORY URN August Klinzing, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application August 3,

1 Claim.

My present invention relates generally to improvements in the art of manufacturing metallic containers, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction of crematory urns and closures therefor.

Generally defined, an object of my invention is to provide an improved crematory urn which is simple and durable in construction, which may be readily manufactured, and which may be eflo fectively sealed from the ambient atmosphere.

For many years, large numbers of persons have preferred to have their bodies cremated after their demise with the remains to be pres served in containers, commonly referred to as l5 urns, manufactured especially for such purpose.

In some instances, the urns are buried in cemetery lots or cemented in headstones after the remains have been placed therein. However, in many cases these crematory urns are placed in vaults or open and accessible spaces in cemetery chapels o-r the like and are in some instances even placed on fireplace mantels or other places of display in homes; and oftentimes it is customary to provide that the remains of more than one person be placed in the same urn, especially where there is a close relationship such as husband and wife. It is therefore highly desirable and in fact necessary for sanitary reasons to provide a crematory urn which may be hermeti- 30 cally sealed, which may be reopened to receive additional ashes, and which may moreover be ornamentally molded or designed for display purposes. It is furthermore essential that these urns be manufactured of some sort of metal or vsimilar non-perishable material without the use of gaskets or the like to prevent deterioration thereof.

It is therefore a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved crematory urn having a readily removable selflocking hermetic seal without necessitating the use of gaskets or the like and which may be manufactured of any suitable material at moderate cost.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a simple air-tight seal for crematory urns which may nevertheless be easily removed for insertion o-f additional ashes without undeout reducing the effectiveness of the seal.

Still another specific object of my invention is to provide a crematory urn with a closure cap which is adapted to snugly conform to the surface immediately adjacent the mouth of the urn,

sirable wear and replacement o-f parts and with- 1940, Serial No. 350,244

thereby reducing the necessity of careful machining.

A further specific object of my present invention is to provide a crematory urn having an effective sealing cap at the bottom aids in maintaining the balance without detracting from the appearance of the urn.

An additional specific object of the invention is to provide an improved crematory urn having an ornamental top portion and a hermetically sealed reinforced base portion adapted to -set firmly on any relatively nat surface.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the invention, and of the mode of constructing crematory urns in accordance with the improvement may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersI designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a side elevation of one of my improved crematory urns, a portion being broken away to show the closure seal in cross-section;

Fig. 42 is a bottom View of the urn, a portion of the sealing cap being `broken away to show the final seating;l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged somewhat distorted transverse vertical section through a fragment of the urn and the sealing cap and showing the cap only partially applied;

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged and distorted transverse vertical section through a fragment of the urn and cap showing the cap in final sealing position; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the base portion and cap of a modified type of urn.

While the improved urn has been shown specically as a crematcry urn having a removable hermetic seal in the bottom portion thereof manipulable by means of a Spanner wrench, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope, since the seal could obviously be placed elsewhere and other suitable tightening and removing tools may be utilized.

Referring to the drawing, the improved crematory urn comprises in general an ornamental container 8 having an integral outwardly flanged base portion 9 formed with a depending annular peripheral bead l0 surrounding a recess Il which is provided with a more or less inwardly and upwardly tapered and machined surface l2 terminating at a threaded bore or mouth I3 located thereof which 5 centrally of the base and extending into the interio-r of the container; and a closure cap I4 formed with screw `threads I5, an annular cutout portion flanged head I'I formed with a relatively sharp inner peripheral edge I8 and having one or more holes I 9 for receiving the pins of a spanner wrench.

In the manufacture of the improved assemblage, it has proven more desirable to utilize the same or similar metals for both the urn 8 and the closure cap I4, thereby reducing the bite of the edge I8 into the tapered surface I2 as the cap is screwed tightly into the threads of the opening I3 and consequently reducing wear due to repeated opening and closing of the urn. However, a tight seal also results if the urn is made of relatively soft material and the closure cap of a harder substance; and it is to be noted that the annular finished or machined surface I2 with which the flange I1 coacts', may be either flat, slightly tapered, or more abruptly tapered.

The sharp biting edge I8 may be formed in any manner, as by undercutting the adjacent side wall of the recess I6, so that when the cover is driven home the sealing edge will move directly toward the machined surface I2. It is to be noted, that tight sealing is effected without the use of gaskets, since the metal flange I 'I and edge I8 of the cap I4 directly engages the annular iinished surface I 2.

Referring specically to Fig. 3 it will be noted that a relatively loose fit is provided between the screw threads I 3 of the urn and the threads I5 of the cap. This is important since it not only permits the flanged head I'I to conform to possible irregularities on the tapered surface I2 as the cap is screwed into sealing position, but also prevents the threads I3, I5 from locking or jamming before the sharp edge I8 is forced into intimate contact with or embedded in the metallic tapered surface I2 to finally seal the urn, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. In Figs. 3 and 4 the loose fit of the threads and the bite have been somewhat exaggerated in order to enhance the clearness of disclosure.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, a portion of the base of a somewhat wider urn is disclosed, and the taper of the surface I2 has been considerably decreased. To insure a more rigid construction at the base portion of a wider urn' wherein the base may be weakened by a thinner wall, outwardly or radially extending reinforcing ribs 20 are provided. These ribs may be readily formed integral with the base portion II without interfering with proper coaction between the peripheral bead I and supporting structure, and similar interchangeable caps may therefore be provided for urns of various sizes and proportions. In this modiiied form, the surface I2 is relatively flat, and the ange I'I again coacts directly with this nished surface I2.

It will be noted that after the ashes of the cremated person are inserted into the urn through the mouth thereof, the closure cap may be screwed into the mouth to close the urn. As the cap is being driven into place, the flange I1 and sharp edge I8 will directly engage the tapered I6, and any outwardly extending surface I2 and the loose t provided in the threads will permit the edge I8 to tilt slightly at its periphery in any direction, thereby compensating for any possible irregularities on the surface I2. As more pressure is placed on the threads in the process of tightening the cap, the lower surface of the cap threads I5 will be forced downwardly against the upper surface of mouth threads I3, permitting air in the urn which is being displaced by the cap to escape, and also providing contact surfaces for forcing the sharp edge I8 directly into snug engagement with or into the metallic tapered surface I2. As this edge is forced more or less into the surface I2, a Very effective air-tight seal is produced through which no powdery ashes and no gases can escape. The cut-out portion I6 provided between the threads I5 and the iianged head I1, insures escape of displaced air prior to the sealing, and provides sufcient clearance between the threads I3 of the urn and the flange I7 of the cap, when the urn is reopened and reclosed and the groove is cut deeper by the edge I8.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that my present invention provides an improved crematory urn assemblage which may be readily opened and closed for receiving ashes of several persons without impairing the effectiveness of the seal. The various portions of the urn and the cap are on the exterior and may consequently be readily machined, and the urn may be of any size, shape, or design without necessitating the use of gaskets, washers, or the like, and the machined surface may be either at or more or less tapered. While I have shown a closure cap formed for manipulation with a spanner wrench, various other types of tightening and loosening tools could obviously be used without departing from the scope of the invention, but the provision of manipulating holes I9 directly within the cap I4 is desirable because it avoids external projections on the cap which might .interfere with the stability of the base structure.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use, herein shown and described, since various modifications within the scope of the claim may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

In a crematory urn, a receptacle having a circular access openingprovided with internal V- shaped screw threads and also having a tapered annular machined surface adjoining the outer end of said opening and inclined symmetrically inwardly relative to the central opening axis, and a closure cap for said opening having external V-shaped screw threads loosely cooperable with said internal threads and also having an integral peripheral right angle flange extending outwardly over said machined tapered surface and provided with an annular machined relatively sharp biting edge portion on its peripheral edge adjacent the tapered surface adapted to be driven into direct sealing engagement with said tapered surface in a plane perpendicular to said axis by virtue of the taper of the loosely coacting V-threads.

AUGUST KLINZING. 

